Burghley House

This past Friday, my friend, Alex, and I jaunted up to Lincolnshire to check out Burghley House!

We left King's Cross around 8:30am, and we got off in Stamford around 10am. Stamford is England's finest stone town. The majority of the homes and buildings are made out of limestone.

Stamford Train Station

Stamford may look familiar to my fellow Pride and Prejudice fans. It was used as Meryton in the 2005 version of the movie.

No, sadly...the regiments were not around.

Alex and I took off on foot to Burghley House. It was a gorgeous day out, so we decided to walk rather than take a cab. I highly recommend this option as there are sidewalks all the way to the house as well as the opportunity to explore the English countryside.

Burghley House was used as Rosings in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice. 

Are you sensing a theme yet?

This trip was reminiscent of the trip to Chatsworth House I did during the first year of grad school.

Sadly, the House, itself, was closed on the day we went. But, there was still tons to do.

First, we explored the grounds.

The Elizabethan gardens have been reconstructed based off of plans found in the house, and they were adjacent to the sculpture garden. 

Pond on Location

Gardens

A Big Bunny

Before we headed back into London, Alex and I feasted on traditional British fare at the restaurant in the house. Luckily, that was open, so we were able to peak a bit into how it was decorated.

It was a perfect day out of London to get some fresh air, share some laughs, and hunt for Mr. Darcy!

Pride and Prejudice Themed Day Trip!

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

I'm a huge Jane Austen fan. I have been since I first discovered the BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice" and saw Colin Firth portray Mr. Darcy. From there on out, I started reading  devouring her six novels. "Pride and Prejudice" has remained my favorite since the first time I watched the BBC version. Reading the novel confirmed that, and if I need more confirmation, both the version before the BBC one as well as the 2005 film solidified the idea.  I can quote lines from the book as well as two of the versions of the movie. My Pinterest boards are sometimes cluttered with lines from Mr. Darcy as well as images. Hopeless Romantic here..

Thus, it comes to no surprise that this time around living in England, I wanted to check out inspirations for the film locations as well as actual inspirations for Jane Austen. The trip to Bath is scheduled for next term to see her actual home and do the tour. Nevertheless, as I sat down to plan these said journeys, I found one location that fulfilled both the film location and an actual inspiration. Chatsworth House in the Peak District served as the actual inspiration for Pemberly when Jane Austen wrote "Pride and Prejudice," and the 2005 movie shot there. 

So, yesterday, Zaina, Emma, and I were determined to reach Chatsworth House.  We decided to rent a car rather than rely on a train and a bus schedule that was last updated in 2003. Leaving Heathrow, it took us about three hours to get there including stops and getting lost for awhile. We rented the car at Heathrow, so that Zaina could avoid London city traffic. It was the same price including the additional fares on the tube out to zone six. 

Let me just say, the Peak District is gorgeous. I've never really ventured into the Midlands/Peak District before, and it rivals the views of cliffs and coastlines. We didn't have time to hike to Stanage Edge- where they shot Elizabeth Bennet (Kiera Knightly) overlooking the countryside in the 2005 movie. Yet, the Peak District is also close to Sherwood Forest, so we know we will back again.

Chatsworth House is huge. The current Duke and Duchess of Devonshire still live there, but it is open for tours. While they had decorated for Christmas and some of the rooms were shut down for renovations, we still go the full experience. 

Chatsworth House

Famous Balcony from the 2005 film

I kept quoting lines as we would walk through the house. The grounds outside were still well landscaped for the fall season with the views in the distance spectacular.   Oh, and if you were wondering where Mr. Darcy was...I found him. The house still has the 2005 statue as seen in the gallery when Elizabeth Bennet tours Pemberly with her aunt and uncle. It's located in the gift shop, somewhat up on a shelf. I actually had to ask as I did not see it right away. I may have been the only one in the shop taking a photo of it, but a fan has to do what a fan has to do. 

Chatsworth House also plays host to a Christmas Market which we enjoyed before we ventured into the local town of Bakewell for dinner and to test out the famous Bakewell puddings. For those who do not know, Bakewell is famous for their Bakewell puddings. I'm not sure of the exact ingredients in the pie as one of them are secret, but it is worth it. Guilt food at its' finest! 

We headed back to London shortly after dinner as we had to get the rental car back to Heathrow. It was well worth the journey up and down. I would recommend it to all Jane Austen fans as well as those who appreciate history (including some JFK trivia), small towns, and the countryside. 

Zaina and I

Emma and I

Walking Tour: Notting Hill: The Movie Film Locations

"After all... I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her. "

As a huge fan of the movie, Notting Hill, it comes to no surprise that I was interested in trying to do the walking tour of the filming locations from the movie. After doing some research online, I came across a website dedicated to wear movies were shot in London.  With the guide to the movie, we were all set!

(Ignore the ad before the trailer)

With a guide down, Jenny and I decided to undertake part of it today.   Stopping along the route for some window shopping and delicious cupcakes, we soon found ourselves at the location where they filmed the travel bookstore. 

Location of the Travel Book Shop

The inspiration for the actual store is around the corner at the Notting Hill Bookstore. I picked up a book for an adventure later this week (it's a surprise) as well as the bag with the store's logo on it. Jenny and I did make our way to the back of the store to the travel section. We were sure to try to do and remember as much from the movie as possible!

Notting Hill Bookstore

Now, unfortunately, Hugh Grant was not on Portobello Road today, but that doesn't mean we couldn't pass up stopping over to see the "blue door!" While it may not actually be the original blue door anymore, it still counts, in my opinion. The balcony is visible if you go across the street, as well. 

Add caption

From there, we managed to find the house used for the birthday party, the gardens that Anna and William break into, the coffee shop where William spells the orange juice, as well as the outside of the building used for the tattoo parlor shown in the beginning scenes. For those of you do not remember, the tattoo parlor was with a man who got a tattoo with 'I love Ken' on his arm. 

Tattoo Parlor Location

Coffee Shop

Birthday Party!

Reenacting the garden scene

All in all, it was a fun outing as we found all the locations! We left out a few that were farther away from Notting Hill, but tomorrow is another day...